Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant consecutive hundreds to steer her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I thought I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 came after possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping two of the six chances that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.
Since data was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain said.
It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Place
Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as King Leads
In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”
